After a two-month wait following President Bola Tinubu’s inauguration, Senate President Godswill Akpabio is expected to announce ministerial nominees this week at a plenary session.
The President and governors must provide the names of nominees for ministers and commissioners to the Senate or state Houses of Assembly within 60 days of taking the oath of office, according to a 1999 amendment to the Constitution.
As a result, President Tinubu and the 28 governors have until the end of this month to release their respective lists of candidates.
The letter with the names of the nominees was delivered to the office of the Senate President last week, according to sources from the National Assembly who spoke with The Punch.
However, the unveiling was delayed due to last-minute adjustments to the list.
One of the sources said, “The Senate President received the ministerial list last week, but it wasn’t yet time for him to unveil it.
“There were some last-minute adjustments, and the Senate President had a meeting with President Tinubu over the list last week.”
A lawmaker who craved anonymity said the administration is carefully navigating to minimize backlash, contributing to the delay, assuring that the names would be read out this week.
The source said: “The names of the ministerial nominees will be out this week.
“The Asiwaju-led administration has been trying its best to avoid a backlash. The names will be unveiled this week; that is all I can say.”
Another source suggested that the unveiling would surprise many. The delay, he added was intentional due to intense lobbying, but the details of the list would shock a lot of Nigerians.
“The list of the nominees will be unveiled this week, and I can tell you that the details will shock a lot of Nigerians. I mean a lot of big politicians will be thrown aback. This will be the real Asiwaju Tsunami.”
A ranking senator shared that the screening process for the nominees is straightforward and could be completed within three days to a week.
“There is no big deal about the screening of ministers. The ministers can be screened in three days or one week. Even if we have to call special or emergency sessions after the plenary has closed for this session, we will.
“But I know the list will be read out this week.” the source stated.
Ada Peter
